Advisory council sponsors African American Read-in

Advisory council sponsors African American Read-in BOARDMAN -- As part of black history recognition, Youngstown City School District's Student Advisory Council is sponsoring the annual African American Read-In from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Barnes &amp; amp; Noble, 381 Boardman Poland Road. Elementary, middle school and high school pupils will present excerpts from black authors and their own original works. The public is invited. There will be door prizes and light refreshments. Marijuana charges POLAND -- A township man was booked on three counts of trafficking marijuana Friday after an investigation by members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force. Sterling M. Smith, 21, was arrested after authorities searched a basement room in his home at 7889 Indian Trail and found two plastic bags of suspected marijuana, a scale and $1,500 in cash, police said. Smith is unemployed, police added. He was booked into the Mahoning County Justice Center late Friday and will be held without bail until Monday. Smith made three marijuana sales to investigators in the months leading up to his arrest, task force spokesman Bob Magnuson said. The case was investigated by officers Don Lambert of the Poland Village Police Department and Greg Wilson of the Poland Township Police Department. Both are members of the task force's drug unit. Hunger group needs help YOUNGSTOWN -- Volunteers are needed to pick up food from area restaurants, grocery stores, bread outlets and businesses for delivery to Second Harvest Food Bank, located at 2805 Salt Springs Road. People interested in volunteering to help feed hungry people should call (330) 792-5522. Second Harvest Food Bank provides food to 190 hunger relief programs in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Writing festival scheduled EAST PALESTINE -- The annual East Palestine Memorial Public Library Prose Writing Festival will be at 6:30 p.m. April 28. Dr. Jeff Buchanan of the Youngstown State University English Department will lead the festival. People of all ages are invited to submit entries up to 10 pages including short stories, essays, fiction or nonfiction. Only one entry is permitted per person, and entries must include a phone number. Poetry will not be accepted because there is a separate event in August for that. All entries are due by April 18. For more information, call (330) 426-3778. Entries can be mailed to the library at 309 N. Market St., East Palestine, Ohio 44413, e-mailed to eplibmail@yahoo.com or faxed to (330) 426-4950. Old plates lead to arrest YOUNGSTOWN -- A 1991 Chevrolet Caprice with expired plates and only one working headlight resulted in a gun charge for Willie Oliver III, 19, of East Judson Avenue. Oliver was stopped on Oak Hill Avenue at 12:25 a.m. Friday on Oak Hill Avenue. He was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, driving under suspension, possession of marijuana, expired plates and failure to display two headlights. Police said they found on the driver's side floorboard a 9mm handgun (with the serial number obliterated) wrapped in a black shirt and a magazine loaded with 30 live rounds. They found a bag of suspected marijuana inside a cup holder. At arraignment Friday in municipal court, bond was set at $17,000. He will be back in court Feb. 14 for a preliminary hearing. Horton Electric damaged WARREN -- Horton Electric, 1545 Youngstown Road, reported criminal damage and theft to police on Thursday. Someone had entered a company vehicle and removed numerous tools and power tools. All of the items were engraved with the company's identification. Searching for funds? YOUNGSTOWN -- Representatives of nonprofit organizations who want to learn how to search for fund-raising and funding sources can sign up for a course on how to use the Main Library's Foundation Center database. "Getting Started with FC Search" is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. next Saturday in the Main Library Meeting Room, 305 Wick Ave. Reservations can be placed by calling the Main Library at (330) 744-8636 and pressing "2" at the phone prompt for "Reference Information." Roastery helps animals SALEM -- Peter Mitchell Lynch and Patricia Tinkler of Friends Roastery on State Street regularly contribute their tips to the Salem Humane Society's Spay a Stray program. Over the past year, Friends Roastery has donated almost $1,000 to the program. To donate to the program, contact Salem Humane Society at (330) 332-2600.

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